- ADAM ZAMPA (AUSTRALIA)
Mentored by one of the greatest exponents of the art of leg spin the game has ever witnessed, Adam Zampa has made a reasonable start to his international career since bursting onto the global arena a couple of months ago. The 23 year old from New South Wales (although he now plays for South Australia in the Australian domestic circuit) has featured in 2 ODIs and 6 T20Is to date, picking up 3 and 5 wickets respectively. For a cricketing powerhouse like Australia which has been facing paucity of quality spinners in limited-overs cricket since the departure of Shane Warne, it seems as though the selectors have finally found apotential solution to their problems in the form ofZampa, who impressed one and all in the recently concluded ICC World T20 in India by scalping 5 wickets at an average of 13.20 and an economy rate of 4.72. After going wicket-less in his first 3 T20Is, he was adjudged the ‘Man of the Match’ in Australia’s Group 2 encounter of the World T20 against Bangladesh in Bangalore for his figures of 3/23. Much in the mould of his mentor Shane Warne, Zampa’s action largely resembles that of the ‘Sheikh of the Tweak’ (We are not even counting the blonde locks which they have in common). He has a relaxed approach to the crease, strolling in gently for the first couple of yards before releasing the ball by generating optimum force to put revolutions in the ball through his pivot at the bowling crease. Interestingly, Zampa has been denied a Cricket Australia Central Contract for 2016 as CA intends to test his credentials in the tour of West Indies in June, where he will be seen partnering Nathan Lyon in the Aussie spin department. It goes without saying that Zampa’s resurgence in the realms of Australia’s limited overs cricket is akin to an oasis in a desert. He will get a chance to brush up his skills when he shares the dressing room with Indian off-spinner RavichandranAshwin at Rising Pune Super Giants in the IPL later this year.
